Post by David Nelson Bradsher on May 3, 2008 22:04:22 GMT -5
The Derby is Today
The Derby is today. She’s attending
with an old friend whose company has seats,
hoping for something good—a happy ending—
to mitigate a flurry of defeats.
The Derby is today. She joins the mass
milling about the crowded mezzanine,
mixing with members of the upper-class
whose pageantry and hues enrich the scene.
The Derby is today. She looks the part,
her new dress pretty and her big hat floppy,
a throwback to a time that caught her heart:
Capone; the Crash; Fitzgerald; the Jalopy.
The Derby is today. The bell is sounded.
They’re off. She placed a bet on number nine,
who has the lead until the pack has rounded
the final turn towards the finish line.
The Derby was today. She lost again,
and finished in the very back;
just like her life—the second choice of men,
too slow and plodding to outrace the pack.
The Derby is today. She’s attending
with an old friend whose company has seats,
hoping for something good—a happy ending—
to mitigate a flurry of defeats.
The Derby is today. She joins the mass
milling about the crowded mezzanine,
mixing with members of the upper-class
whose pageantry and hues enrich the scene.
The Derby is today. She looks the part,
her new dress pretty and her big hat floppy,
a throwback to a time that caught her heart:
Capone; the Crash; Fitzgerald; the Jalopy.
The Derby is today. The bell is sounded.
They’re off. She placed a bet on number nine,
who has the lead until the pack has rounded
the final turn towards the finish line.
The Derby was today. She lost again,
and finished in the very back;
just like her life—the second choice of men,
too slow and plodding to outrace the pack.
